LOVE AS A RESPONSE TO APARTHEID: A STUDY OF THE POETRY OF DENNIS BRUTUS
LOVE AS A RESPONSE TO APARTHEID: A STUDY OF THE POETRY OF DENNIS BRUTUS
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Date
1983-08-22
Authors
Akosu, Tyohdzuah Paulinus
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Abstract
In South Africa, apartheid regulates political.
cultural, social and economic aspects of people's
lives. The whiteman is the affluent but
frightened master and the Blackmail is the hungry
and exploited servant. Dennis Brutus's poetry
protests against this situation. He responds to
the many conflicts generated by apartheid, by
appealing for love and respect for the individual
in place of the hatred and the stifling atmosphere
engendered by apartheid. The various levels and
implications of his response, the precise meaning
of his appeal for love, constitute the major
concern of this thesis .
Chapter one makes a survey of existing
critical studies and shows the need for a further
examination of the love theme in the poetry of
Dennis Brutus, It defines love and relates it
to Brutus's definition that is informed by his
Christian upbringing and his political orientation,
his liberal humanism, The chapter deals with
Brutus's biography and looks for those traits
which are discernible in his poetry. Chapter two
is a detailed study of love as a liberal ideological
response to apartheid in Brutus's poetry. Chapter
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Three discusses love as a means of sustaining
man's dignity and identity, human attributes
which apartheid seeks to destroy in the Blackman.
Chapter Four examines love in Brutus!s poems as a
struggle against alienation and insecurity brought
about by apartheid. Chapter Five discusses
Patriotism and the fight for a birthright. The
Conclusion summarizes the major arguments of the
study, reassesses Brutus's literary achievement
and evaluates his contribution to Literature and
the liberation struggle in South Africa.
Description
A Thesis
Submitted in P a r t i a l Fulfilment of the
Requirements for the Award of the Degree
of Master of Arts in African Literature .
Keywords
LOVE, RESPONSE, APARTHEID, STUDY, POETRY, DENNIS, BRUTUS